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Be careful with new turnpike speed limit (Editorial)

Chambersburg Public Opinion

Updated:
07/28/2014 08:11:12 PM EDT

Motorists on the Pennsylvania Turnpike will see something different between the Blue Mountain and Morgantown interchanges. Effective last week, the speed limit was upped to 70 miles per hour throughout that stretch.

PennDOT also announced it will launch 70 mph pilot projects on 88 miles of Interstate 80 and 21 miles of Interstate 380 next month.

The speed limit increase, up from 65 mph on the turnpike, was approved by the Legislature and signed into law by Gov. Corbett last fall. Proponents say the higher speed limit will move traffic faster, increasing transport efficiency for business and motorists. Some say the higher speed limits can actually make the highways safer by maintaining smoother traffic flow.

Not so fast, say the critics.

Higher speeds increase the damage and potential for injury and death when crashes occur.

According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, high speeds make a crash more likely because it takes longer to stop or slow down. And, collisions are more deadly because crash energy increases exponentially as speeds go up.

PennDOT added a word of caution: "As we increase the speed limit on the Pennsylvania Turnpike, motorists need to increase their restraint behind the wheel accordingly," said Turnpike CEO Mark Compton.

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The sections of highways where the higher speed limits have been activated are pilot projects. "PennDOT will use data collected from the pilot locations while evaluating other 65-mph roadway sections for potential 70-mph implementation in the spring or summer next year. Roadway sections that can safely accommodate the increased speed could start being signed soon after the evaluations are complete," the press release stated.

For many motorists, the higher speed limits merely legalize a driving speed they've been using anyway. But as both PennDOT and the IIHS note, therein lies the problem. Motorists will now up their game to 75 or 80 mph, speeds that are unsafe both for those motorists and others on the road.

U.S. 422 through Berks and Montgomery counties or Interstate 81 through Harrisburg to the Maryland border are the ultimate examples of drivers ignoring speed limits (and common road courtesy) and creating a driving nightmare for motorists.

Driving is becoming a game of one-upmanship and intensity to own the road. And while we welcome the opportunity to get through Pennsylvania more easily at a higher speed, the new speed limits must come with strong words of caution.